The Internet is the dominant text of this generation. In order to be considered fully literate, individuals need to be able to read, write, and participate using the web. It is a paradox that history’s first generation of always connected individuals does not have the skills and practices necessary to survive, let alone succeed in…
Creation of digital stories in the classroom is a powerful instructional technique that has the potential to transform learning for students. Digital stories are portable as they are documented and shared via digital texts and tools. This allows the teachers to document the work process and product of the learner, while allowing the students to…
To behaviorists, the mind is a “black box.” In science and engineering, the term black box refers to any complex device for which we know the inputs and outputs, but not the inner workings. For example, to many of us, our mobile devices are a black box. We push the buttons on the phone, select the app…
When online discussions break down, we often point the finger at the illusive troll or identify behaviors we would describe as trollish. In my research I’ve been studying literacy practices in online, social spaces. In this context, I need to come to terms with the role of trolling and these anti-social behaviors. This post will unpack…
As access to the Internet and other technologies become a mandatory requirement of working in a connected society, networks need to protect against misuse of access to the web. Throughout each working day, organizations ranging from corporations to schools and libraries need to prepare for possible misuse by users. Users can be a wide ranging…
On Sunday, June 4th, 2017 at 8 PM Central Time (9 PM ET) I guest hosted the #TXEDUCHAT. During the hour, we dove into some of my thinking about becoming a digitally agile educator. This post will share the genesis of my thinking about becoming a digitally agile educator. I’ll then share the prompts from…
The term digital native was coined and popularized by Marc Prensky in his 2001 article titled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. In this he posited that the contemporary decline in American education was due to educators’ inability to understand the needs of modern students. Students were labeled digital natives and said to have an insider’s perspective…
Our column on Computational Participation: Understanding coding as an extension of literacy instruction was recently published in JAAL. I co-wrote the column with Quinn Burke and Yasmin Kafai. As a supplement to the column, we invited a series of experts to spend some time discussing the broader impact of the details presented. The end result is a series…
A 21st century educational system must educate all students in the effective and authentic use of the technologies that permeate society to prepare them for the future. As part of this future, learners need opportunities to not only read, but also write the web. Despite the transformative possibilities associated with the inclusion of the Internet…
In our everyday interactions, we utilize a variety of digital texts and tools to create and curate a digital identity. We have websites linked to other websites. Social media links connecting this work to the work of peers and colleagues. We use social networks to tweet, blog, and post our ideas and share his out with the world to…